Italy Shocked Out; Finland Faces France in Euro Volleyball Semis

Italian volleyball players were eliminated from the European Championships after a surprising quarterfinal loss to Finland, ending their bid for gold despite arriving as 2025 world champions. The match ended with Italy losing 3:14 (score reported as 13-15 in text) while leading initially and having chances in the tie-break.

The defeat has sparked questions about coach Ferdinando De Giorgi's future, though federation president Giuseppe Manfredi stated there is no immediate need to change him. He noted that results are not solely a reflection of player or coach performance over his four-to-five years in charge.

Finland will face France in the second semifinal match on Friday, September 25 at 9:00 PM, broadcast live by Polsat Sport and available online via Polsat Box Go. Finland reached this stage after a dramatic quarterfinal win against Italy, marking their first medal chance in European Championship history.

France advanced to the semifinals as group leaders but faced an unexpected loss to Romania earlier in the tournament before defeating Portugal 3:0 and Russia 3:2 in subsequent rounds.